INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRAYING THE LITURGICAL HOURS

1. Each hour of the office should be celebrated as close as possible to the time of day for which it is meant: Lauds as praise in the morning, midday office at midday, Vespers as Thanksgiving in the evening, Vigils either in preparation for the next day or as the first office of the day (early morning or late at night), and Compline before retiring. It is customaty in our monastery to celebrate Vigils the evening previous in anticipation of the next day.
   
   
2. Each hour begins with an introduction. It the prayer is held as a group, use a verse style in which a person leads and the rest join in response. The first office of the day has a different introduction. All other offices of the day have the same introduction. An "alleluia" is added to the "Glory Be" outside of Lent. During Lent, this is replaced with "Praise he to you, O Lord, King of eternal glory".
   
   

   First Office of the day:	Other Offices of the day:
   (making cross over lips with thumb)	(making the sign of the cross)
   V/. Lord, open my lips;	V/. God, come to my assistance;
   R/. and my mouth will declare your praise.	R/. Lord, make haste to help me
   Glory be. . .	Glory be. . .

   
   
3. After the introduction at Lauds the invitatory is prayed. This consists of an antiphon that changes depending upon the season and/or feast day and a psalm. The antiphon is repeated after every stanza of the psalm and concludes with a "Glory he".
   
   
4. Following the introduction (or the invitatory at Lauds), a hymn is either sung or recited. The hymn is selected depending upon the season of the Church Year (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary time), or the Feast celebrated that day (BVM, Apostle martyr, virgin, etc).
   
   
5. Following the hymn, we enter into the heart of the liturgical hours, the Psalter. The psalms proper are those used for Ordinary Time, unless otherwise specified for the season or feast day. Simply follow what is written. The antiphons will change depending on the season of the Church Year and/or the feast day. This is done to keep in mind the season and the mysteries of Christ's life that are to he celebrated at various time of the seasonal sections and the sanctoral section. If there is no change mentioned, simply use the Ordinary time selections in the psalter proper.
   
   
6. It helps to pause between the antiphon/psalm groupings to reflect on the meaning of the texts and the seasonal character of the antiphons. A "Glory be" is added either at the end of every psalm before the antiphon is repeated or at the end of the entire psalter for that hour and should be prayed standing up in respect to the Trinity.
   
   
7. After the antiphon/psalm groupings for the hour, a short reading is read and reflected upon. After reflection, the response is prayed. There are two different ways of praying these responsories, no matter what is written there. For example:
   
   Group praying the Office at Lauds and Vespers:
   
   

   Leader:	The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
   All:	The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
   Leader:	He leads me in verdant pastures;
   All:	There is nothing I shall want.
   Leader:	Glory he to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
   All:	The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

   
   With private recitation this turns into a versicle just as at Vigils Midday, and Compline:
   
   V/. The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
   R/. He leads me in verdant pastures.
   
   
8. After the responsory at Lauds, the Canticle of Zechariah is prayed with its accompanying antiphon-- a "Glory be" following the canticle before the antiphon is repeated. At Vespers, the Canticle of Mary is prayed with its accompanying antiphon. It is customary in a group to stand when praying these Gospel Canticles symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus. The antiphons for these canticles correspond to the gospel reading for the day and are found in any one of the five seasonal sections or in the sanctoral section for the saint of the day.
   After these canticles are prayed, Lauds and Vespers end the same way: Intercessory prayers (sometimes known as the Litany), the -Our Father, a concluding prayer, and the following versicle that also ends Midday Prayer:
   
   V/. Let us bless the Lord;
   R/. Thanks be to God!
   
   
9. Alter the short versicle that follows the reading for Midday prayer, a short concluding prayer is recited and the concluding verse as above.
   
   
10. You will see that Vigils contains two sections known as "Nocturns" that consist of an antiphon, two or three psalms, the repeated antiphon and a versicle. After the versicle a lengthy reading from the Scripture is usually read from the breviary text. After a reflection period, the second nocturn begins. After its versicle, a commentary of some sort is read. This usually consists of a commentary from the Patristic authors that is also contained in the breviary text. Texts vary with seasons and feast days. On Vigils for Sundays and solemnities, the first reading consists of a commentary on the gospel reading for the day, the second reading is the gospel reading itself the reading of which is followed by the hymn "Te Deum". Vigils concludes with a collect, and blessing.
    
    
11. Compline concludes the same way as Midday prayer and then the Marian antiphon is sung, preferably before an image of the BVM. This antiphon also changes with the seasons: Alma Redemptoris Mater (Advent to February 2), Ave Regina Coelorum (Fete 2 to Easter), Regina Caeli (Easter to Pentecost), Salve Regina (Pentecost to Advent). The following verse concludes Compline:
    
    V/. May the Divine Assistance remain with us always;
    R/. And with our absent brothers/sisters.
    V/. May the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
    R/. Amen. (All may then be sprinkled with holy water)
    
    

Thank you for reading this page
May God continue to pour his graces upon you
God Bless

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